217: Chapter 217 The Fifth Life, A Mysterious Place

The Heavenly Emperor took a Disciple?

Xiao Fan and the others found it impossible to believe. How high were the Heavenly Emperor's standards? They themselves hadn't been taken as Disciples, so how could this guy have been accepted by the Heavenly Emperor?

Could he be bragging? The group was quite skeptical.

However, on the surface, Xiao Fan still politely said, 'So it's Fellow Daoist Heavenly Horse. I am Xiao Fan, and this is Fellow Daoist Qi Xuan.'

He then proceeded to introduce everyone to each other.

Heavenly Horse Saint Emperor was familiar with the names of Xiao Fan, Qi Xuan, and Chen Changsheng, as they were the Great Emperors who had proved the Dao before him and were legendary figures in the Origin Realm.

'A pleasure to meet you!' Heavenly Horse Saint Emperor said enthusiastically, 'I hope you all can look after me in the future. We are all under the Heavenly Emperor's banner, so we should support each other!'

Xiao Fan's mouth twitched. *Wow, you're really good at cozying up to people,* he thought, but still nodded.

'Naturally. Since Fellow Daoist Heavenly Horse is new here, come back to our base with us first, and we can discuss the situation in this realm in detail.'

'Good, good, good!' Heavenly Horse Saint Emperor nodded repeatedly.

The group flew towards the Immortal Cave. Along the way, Heavenly Horse Saint emperor constantly referred to himself as a Disciple of the Heavenly Emperor, leaving Xiao Fan and the others utterly speechless.

This guy was really good at embellishing his own status.

Xiao Fan inwardly grumbled, '*If getting a few pointers from the Heavenly Emperor makes you a Disciple, then what does that make me?*'

'I've explored Ancient Tombs with the Heavenly Emperor's dao fruit body and received his personal guidance multiple times, yet I wouldn't dare call myself his Disciple. And you, with just a bit of guidance, have the nerve to claim you're the Heavenly Emperor's Disciple? Your face is really thick!'

'Moreover, I was the first person the Heavenly Emperor sent to this realm, personally appointed as the vanguard. I've been an Emperor longer and arrived in the Lesser Immortal Realm much earlier than you. How long have you been here? What are your qualifications?'

Of course, these were just Xiao Fan's playful inner thoughts. He didn't actually mind.

...

Origin Realm, the Heavenly Courts Rear Garden.

Jiang Hao and the other two were studying the bodhi undying medicine.

Each undying medicine was unique and possessed research value.

The small tree shimmered with golden light, its branches and leaves swaying as dao rhyme flowed between them.

Sitting beneath the tree, one felt their mind clear, and the efficiency of comprehending the Dao had indeed improved significantly.

'The Holy Spirit Ancestral Land actually had such a treasure,' Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi remarked with feeling. 'Fellow Daoist Jiang, the treasures in your possession are growing more and more numerous.'

Heavenly Venerable Lingbao also smiled and said, 'At this rate, you might one day collect all the undying medicines in the world.'

Hearing this, Jiang Hao felt a stir in his heart.

Collect them all?

That was an interesting thought.

Currently, he already possessed: sun fusang, taiyin moon laurel, the human-shaped immortal medicine, white tiger immortal medicine, chaos green lotus, and now this bodhi undying medicine.

A full six of them.

And in the entire Origin Realm, there were only a dozen or so known surviving undying medicines.

There used to be more, but some had dissipated into history.

'If I could gather all the undying medicines...' A flicker of interest passed through Jiang Hao's eyes. 'That would indeed be a remarkable achievement.'

'What, are you seriously considering it?' Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi asked with a smile.

'Let it be as fate wills,' Jiang Hao chuckled. 'If I encounter them, I'll collect them. If not, I won't force it. However, now that the thought has occurred to me, I can keep an eye out in the future.'

Jiang Hao looked at the Bodhi tree, its golden light reflected in his eyes.

Collecting all the undying medicines did sound truly interesting.

But this matter couldn't be rushed. He would take it slowly.

After all, he had plenty of time.

Another thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

In the Heavenly Courts Rear Garden, Jiang Hao slowly opened his eyes.

His aura had reached a state of perfect harmony. It was time to begin the transformation for his fifth life.

'Are you preparing for your next life, Fellow Daoist?' Heavenly Venerable Lingbao's voice came from beside him.

Both he and Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi had sensed the change in Jiang Hao's state.

Jiang Hao stood up and nodded. 'Yes, the accumulation for this life is sufficient. It's time to begin the next.'

Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi said gently, 'Feel at ease in your transformation, Fellow Daoist. We will watch over the Heavenly Court.'

Heavenly Venerable Lingbao added, 'Now the heavens are stable, and the Forbidden Realms are lying low, unable to cause any trouble. You can transform with peace of mind.'

Jiang Hao smiled. 'I'll trouble you both.'

With the strength of Lingbao and Yuanshi, no one in all the heavens could shake the Heavenly Court in the slightest.

'I'm off.'

Without further words, Jiang Hao took a step forward and vanished from the garden.

Heavenly Venerable Lingbao and Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi exchanged a glance, both seeing a trace of emotion in the other's eyes.

'Fellow Daoist Jiang is about to begin his fifth life...' Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi murmured softly. 'How fast time flies.'

'For Fellow Daoist Jiang, normal transformation times have little meaning anymore,' Heavenly Venerable Lingbao shook his head.

'We old fellows need to step up our efforts too.'

The two sat down again and resumed their game of chess.

In the garden, the Immortal Pond's waters were calm, and the undying medicines swayed gracefully, as if nothing had changed.

...

Deep within the Origin Realm Universe.

Jiang Hao walked alone through the starry sky, stepping from star to star like an ordinary Cultivator, moving slowly.

He watched the flow of the Milky Way, the rise and fall of civilizations, the birth and extinction of life.

This kind of journey was itself a form of cultivation. Jiang Hao sometimes quite enjoyed it, as it allowed him to see the scenery while gaining insights.

After walking like this for about ten years, Jiang Hao suddenly stopped.

He frowned slightly and looked down into the depths of his own Sea of Suffering.

There, the bronze bell that had accompanied him through his Transmigration and lay dormant for who knows how many tens of thousands of years had actually trembled slightly.

'Hmm?'

Jiang Hao was somewhat surprised.

This bell was too mysterious, its origins unknown and its functions unclear.

Apart from initially concealing his Chaos Body and gathering Luck, most of the time it was like a mere ornament.

Only occasionally, when encountering special Opportunities, would it show any reaction.

The last time it had trembled was when he discovered the ruins of the Chaotic Ancient Heavenly Court.

Now, it was reacting again!

'Could there be something good again?'

Jiang Hao's interest was piqued.

This bronze bell was extremely picky. Ordinary divine objects or immortal gold didn't even catch its eye.

For it to react on its own, it must be something truly extraordinary, at least at the Immortal Rank level.

Following the faint sensation transmitted by the bronze bell, Jiang Hao adjusted his direction and headed towards a remote corner of the Universe.

The further he went, the sparser the surrounding stars became, and the Spiritual Qi grew increasingly poor.

Later on, the entire Star Domain was lifeless and Death Qi-filled, with almost no signs of life.

The Universe was vast. Although Jiang Hao had traveled many times since becoming an Emperor, there were still many places he hadn't visited.

Like this place now.

Finally, after passing through a dim, wondrous nebula, the scene before him made Jiang Hao freeze.

Ahead was a small star system.

A blazing sun hung at its center, with eight planets slowly revolving around it.

These eight planets looked very similar to the eight in his memories.

The layout, size, even the colors were almost identical to the solar system he remembered.

Jiang Hao stood in the starry sky, staring blankly at this sight.

After a long time, he finally took a deep breath and murmured, 'This...'

It was alike, too alike!

So alike that Jiang Hao thought he had returned to Earth.

The azure-blue third planet, the crimson-red fourth, and the massive outlines of the gas giants further out...

Jiang Hao could even match them one by one to those familiar names. There was no difference in their appearances!